


Familiarity

by anon54



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 01:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13308003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anon54/pseuds/anon54
Summary: Takes place after the death of Wayne Fields. This is the Emily/Alison moment we all deserve.





	Familiarity

**Author's Note:**

> My literature teacher told me that I should write more. So here we go! This is my first time ever posting my writing anywhere. Enjoy!

Alison clutched the steering wheel tighter as tears threatened to spill over. She took a shaky breath and focused on parking in the darkness outside of Emily's house. She noticed the American flag hanging outside and momentarily paused to smooth her hair down and check her reflection in the mirror. _She'll be okay. It'll take time, but she'll be okay._

She felt the cold wind whip across her face as she hugged her jacket closer to her body. Her soft knock on the door was greeted by a exhausted Pam Fields who ushered her inside, pulling her in for a hug. The warm gesture surprised her. Ali's relationship with Mrs. Fields was never strong, considering how Ali had treated Emily over the years. Emily's mother had always been protective of her daughter.

"The service is tomorrow at noon. I hope you can be there. For Emily"

"Of course" Ali responded without hesitation. Mrs. Fields paused and gestured to the upper half of the house

"She's upstairs"

"Thank you." Ali smiled lightly and began to ascend the stairs.

\--------------------------

A light knock on Emily's closed door was met by nothing. _That can't be good_.

Ali slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open with her knuckle. Emily looked away from her window as her eyes refocused into Ali's.

Emily said nothing, not even an acknowledgement.

Ali quietly closed the door behind her and padded over to where Emily was sitting in her window ledge, her knees to her chest.

"Can I sit down?" Ali asked as Emily's eyes went back to the darkness behind the window. Ali was momentarily afraid her request would be ignored but the brunette nodded, eyes never moving from their place beyond the glass.

Ali sat down across from Emily and reached for her hand. The brunette's expression of stone did not waver as their hands intertwined.

Alison was familiar with this side of Emily. She observed it from afar after her own disappearance and after Maya's body was found. Emily chooses to remain emotionless instead of actually facing her pain.

Ali knows that everyone mourns differently. She decides that if this is the way the brunette wants to deal with the death of her father, the least the blonde can do is be there for her. For every time over the years that she couldn't be. _Or just wasn't_.

Ali studies Emily's face as she continues to stare out the window and sees just how exhausted she looks. Her sculpted face is hiding it well. 

"How long has it been since you've slept Em?" Ali asks, tucking a strand of hair behind the brunette's ear.

"Too long" Emily jokes, attempting to smile at Ali. But it comes out as more of a grimace.

"Come on" Ali stands and holds her hand out. "You need sleep"

Emily accepts the hand and Ali leads her to the bed. The brunette falls onto the mattress and stares at the ceiling as Ali turns out her lamp. She then pulls the covers over Emily, who she knew must have been freezing, and begins to leave the room.

"Ali?" Emily calls into the darkness.

Ali pauses, her hand on the doorknob.

"Can you stay over tonight?" Ali hesitates, knowing what this could mean.

"Em... I don't think that's a good idea..." She starts

"Please?" She pleads into the darkness. Ali sighs, knowing she can't deny Emily anything. Especially right now.

"Sure honey." She slips her shoes off and lays her jacket over the back of Emily's chair. She lifts the covers and climbs in. Emily continues to stare at the ceiling. Ali studies her face, illuminated by the moonlight. She really was beautiful. An actual goddess. _But Ali shouldn't be thinking about that right now_. She knew how much Emily was hurting.

"Em talk to me. What's on your mind?" Ali asks, reaching to twirl a brunette strand between her fingers.

Emily continued to stare at the ceiling and the blonde could see her brow furrow as she paused. She rolled over slowly to face Ali.

"Why don't I hate you?"

The words came as a surprise to Ali who recoiled her hand slowly, being careful not to pull the hair. The blonde switched to fiddling with the blanket as she considered her answer.

"You should Emily. You deserve to. The things I've put you through. The pain. The worry. I mean... all those goddamn funerals." Emily scooted closer to her and Ali spoke even softer. "You should Em." She was so close that Ali could see the slight red rimming of her eyes. Emily rarely cried. The only time Ali could remember is when she watched from afar as Maya's lifeless body was taken away. Emily was sobbing then. The blonde remembered how difficult it was to watch that moment. _She also remembered how much she wanted to be the one holding Emily_.

"But I don't hate you Ali. I've tried to... believe me. I thought that hating you would make everything easier, but I couldn't do it" Ali knew Emily was bringing this up to avoid her own feelings about her dad so the blonde let her do it.

Ali wasn't sure what she should say. Then, she looked into those brown eyes that have seen way more pain than they should have. She knew immediately that the only thing she could do was try to piece together something that could display a fraction of the regret Emily made her feel whenever their eyes met. Ali took a shaky breath. She was never that great at saying she was sorry.

"I know that apologies from me mean practically nothing anymore. But, Emily... God I am so sorry. For everything you've been through and for everything I've done to cause it. I'm sorry that you don't look at me the same and for everything that makes it difficult for me to be here right now."

Emily rolled back to stare at the ceiling. Ali inched closer.

"And Em... I am so sorry about your dad." Ali spoke softly into the silence. "He was a good man"

She didn't need the moonlight to see the tears trickling down Emily's face, hitting the pillow. Ali reached out and wiped the side of her face, but there were quickly more tears.

The blonde silently pulled Emily into her chest as sobs began to wrack her body. She kissed the top of her head. "I'm here Em... for as long as you need." Emily clung to Ali's shirt as the brunette allowed her heart to finally break. _For every time that I wasn't_.

Minutes turned to hours as Emily drifted in and out of consciousness. Ali did her best to stay awake, but she was exhausted. She was awoken multiple times from her slumber as Emily resumed her crying. She would tug Emily nearer to her chest and murmur words of comfort until the brunette fell back to sleep.

At around 4 in the morning the crying stopped and Ali awoke when Emily's warm body moved away from hers to sit on the edge of the bed. The blonde pushed her sleep tousled hair back and went to join Emily. The brunette leaned her head on Ali's shoulder. They sat in silence for awhile, staring at the darkness beyond the window.

"Thank you" Emily said as she turned her head to face Ali. Even with her red rimmed eyes and messy hair, the brunette looked like something from a magazine. _But Ali shouldn't be thinking about that right now_.

Before Ali could say anything in return, she was silenced by a bruising kiss. It was familiar. The slight pain she felt from the impact quickly disappeared. She was immediately lost in the moment and the softness of Emily's lips, but quickly collected herself and softly placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder.

Emily immediately thought back to that time in the library when they were just kids and looked away from Ali, not wanting to hear another word of rejection come out of her perfect lips.

"Em... this is wrong. You're really vulnerable right now."

Emily turned to face Ali and noticed her swollen lips and those familiar sparkling eyes. She smiled in the same grimacing way as earlier and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm always vulnerable when it comes to you. You know that."

**Author's Note:**

> I always felt that Emily deserved better. (I'm not talking about her and Alison. I'm speaking in regards to her late childhood/early adulthood years).
> 
> Please leave helpful comments! :)


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